HOOVER, Ala. –The ‘Ole Ball Coach was on top of his game, per usual, in front of the biggest gathering of media he would see that day in the main conference room. Spurrier touched on everything from paying basketball and football players to fair scheduling in the SEC.
Gatorcountry.com was on-site and in the room to hear the former Florida Gators Heisman winning quarterback and National Championship winning head coach speak. Here are some notes on what he had to say.
- Spurrier kicked off his media day press conference by recapping the SEC coaches’ meetings for the media.
- Spurrier said that the coaches voted 14-0 that both football and basketball players should get some kind of “expense money” based on how much revenue those two sports bring into their universities and the league.
- Spurrier said he is going to keep fighting for players to get some kind of kick back until “President Obama says ‘Spurrier, you and those coaches need to quit fighting for your players.’”
- Spurrier questioned why Notre Dame’s athletic director was sitting in on a meeting with the commissioners from all of the conferences when they met to discuss the new four-team playoff. Spurrier said that nobody had a good answer for why the athletic director of Notre Dame would be in a meeting with league commissioners other than “that’s the way it’s always been done.”
- Spurrier said that all 14 SEC head coaches agreed that Notre Dame should fully join the ACC and be in a conference “like the rest of us.”
- Spurrier said that scheduling in the SEC is not always fair but he doesn’t know a way to make it fair across the board.
- He pointed out that the two teams who played for the SEC Championship (Alabama and Georgia) didn’t have to play any team in the top 3 from the opposing division.
- Spurrier said that LSU and Florida should have the biggest reason to gripe because they have to play each other annually and both schools are normally top-10 teams.
- Spurrier said he believes South Carolina has a very good team despite losing a lot on defense to the NFL.
- Spurrier said he has two good quarterbacks but that Connor Shaw would be their starter.
- Spurrier corroborated the story that Jadeveon Clowney ran a 4.46 40-yard dash time during summer workouts.
- Spurrier said that Clowney has made a lot of big plays in his two years in Columbia and that he’s ready to go for the season.
- Spurrier said he knows that South Carolina isn’t favored to win the SEC but he believes – and the team believes – that they are capable of winning an SEC Championship, the first in school history.
- Spurrier praised Clowney for staying out of the spotlight as much as possible this summer and being a good teammate.
- Spurrier said he and his team like opening up on Thursday night – something the Gamecocks have done in recent years – and it is something they will continue doing in the future.
- Despite his blazing 40-yard dash time, Spurrier shot down the prospect of Clowney seeing time on offense.
- Spurrier thinks that missing spring practice actually helped Connor Shaw. Shaw took the time to heal up a back injury and had surgeries on his back and foot in the offseason. He is healthy and expected to be the starter on opening day.
- In typical Ball Coach style, Spurrier did say he would use both of his quarterbacks (Shaw and Dylan Thompson) this season and he could possibly have both of them on the field at the same time.
- In atypical fashion, Spurrier treaded lightly around the question of Urban Meyer turning in a former colleague in Brian White. Spurrier said that he has turned coaches in in the past for “obviously breaking rules.”
- Spurrier was asked if he would turn the Gators in for a violation like that, he smiled while saying “like that? Probably not.”
- Spurrier said the Gamecocks are “knocking on the door” in terms of bringing the first SEC Championship to Columbia, but they need to win those crucial games.
- To the shock of everybody in attendance today, Spurrier announced that he would, in fact, play both of his quarterbacks in every game this year. I know, shocker.